


Little Red Rose

by iampengwing



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Other, Prinxiety - Freeform, and i mean VEERY slowburn, like they wont even be together by 100k :), logicality - Freeform, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-19 20:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16541759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iampengwing/pseuds/iampengwing
Summary: A new year of school brings a new year of opportunities. And for our four, new friends and new adventures. Patton, Roman, Logan, and Virgil are all students at the same college. What happens when new factors are introduced to the friends? Will they drive them apart, or bring them closer than they ever thought possible.





	1. Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton is introduced to some amazing people by his older brother, Roman. He hopes they can become friends,

**PATTON**

The sun blared through Patton’s window, lighting up his bedroom and causing it to pull the young man out of his dreaming state. He yawned, stretching his arms to get his blood flowing, and a small smile appeared on his face. After waiting a few minutes to allow himself to wake up, he pulled himself out of bed and into the bathroom. He took a quick shower then went into his room and walked over to the closet, pulling it open and looking inside. Patton dressed in his usual style, which comprised a graphic tee, jeans, his black glasses, and a cat-themed jacket in case it got cold. Not surprisingly, he also wore several ‘friendship’ bracelets on his wrists, the colors popping as they were so bright. After he was dressed, he finished getting ready. Once he finished, he made his way into the living room, and as he realized he was ready early, he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to Iron Man, a movie he enjoyed.

 

After about twenty minutes into the movie, Patton looked up at the clock and decided that it was time to head to the college. Roman, his brother, was in the kitchen and had promised Patton that he would give him a ride since they went to the same school. So, they climbed into Roman’s car, and they drove to the college after Patton making sure they were buckled. Roman said the drive wasn’t long, which Patton was glad about. Though he wouldn’t mind if it was long since he enjoyed long car rides and watching the skyline and the clouds move as he sped down the road.

 

Patton glanced over at Roman thoughtfully, “Were you this nervous on your first day?”

 

With a small smile, Roman responded, “Nope,” He paused. “Just kidding, yeah I was a nervous wreck. You get used to it though, I’m sure you’ll fit right in, Padre.”

 

Patton nodded, thinking for a second before responding, “I know, but none of my friends are even going here.” He looked out the window at the rainbow that was forming, getting brighter with every second. Although Patton knew he should be able to make friends easily that didn’t stop him from being nervous. All his other friends were still in high school or going to some other college, and Patton would miss them. He hoped he could hang out with Roman at the school since he was the person he felt most comfortable around.

 

“Don’t worry, little bro. Your sunshiney personality will attract all sorts of people. So uh, stay away from the villains, okay?” Roman chuckled.

 

Patton frowned, “Maybe not refer to them as villains? That’s pretty hurtful.”

 

Roman glanced at Patton for a second, “Well it’s not my fault! They are villains. There are also heroes, like mua. So just stay close to me.”

 

Patton sighed, “Okay, Ro.”

 

Soon enough, they arrived at the school. It wasn’t a very large school, but it wasn’t tiny either. In Patton’s opinion, it was a very reasonable size. Though he liked bigger schools, as he finds there would be a bigger chance to make friends, but he was okay with it being the size it was. Roman ushered Patton to go faster, as Roman claimed he wanted to get to his friends before his first class. He agreed and allowed Roman to push him into the direction of where he assumed was where the college students went to hang out. Patton just hoped these friends were nice since he knew Roman had a habit of becoming friends with some rude people and not hanging out with Patton much. However, with Patton’s help, he grew out of that, which gave Patton hope.

 

They arrived in a courtyard with several trees around, a few tables, and some benches. There was, what Patton guessed, about twenty or so students around the courtyard. Roman started walking over to a couple other people at one of the tables near a large tree, shading the table perfectly, and Patton followed.

 

Roman sat down across from an individual with purple hair which left Patton to sit next to Roman and across from a fellow was also wearing glasses. The one with purple hair glanced at him cautiously which caused Patton to give him a reassuring smile in return. The person who was wearing glasses was too drawn into his book to realize they arrived so he peered at Roman and then back at the purple haired guy, who carefully took out his headphones Patton hadn’t noticed at first.

 

“Hello, I’m Patton!” Patton introduced in a cheery voice, trying his best not to upset the others. The one with glasses finally looked up and looked at Patton curiously.

 

“Hi,” The purple haired one replied simply, tugging at the ends of his sweater nervously, looking at Patton.

 

The one with glasses closed his book and set it down on the table, “Salutations, Patton. I assume you are Roman’s brother, am I correct?”

 

“Yep!” Patton answered.

 

Logan nodded, “My name is Logan. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, but I must be going now. You guys have a joyous time. Oh, and Virgil? Remember what I said, alright?” With that, Logan grabbed his book, stood up, and then left the table. Patton watched him go curiously and then looked over at Roman.

 

“Don’t ask. The nerd is always saying weird stuff like that. Anyway, Virgil, what classes do you have this year?” With that, they all began to engage in conversation about random topics until it was time for them to attend class. Patton and Virgil seemed to get along pretty well, although Virgil was still relatively guarded and nervous around him, something that Patton understood. He hoped that Virgil and Logan would soon warm up to him and consider him his friend as he already knew they seemed like very amazing people.

 

Later, Patton walked into his Psychology class giddily, smiling at everybody he came in contact with. It wasn’t a very large class so he sat in the front row next to another student that had a coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. The student looked up at Patton and gave a small smile. Patton chuckled, “Good morning!” The student sighed and looked over at the professor shifting through his notes, waiting for everybody to arrive.

 

The boy nodded as he sipped his coffee, “Yup.” He continued scrolling through his phone.

 

Once the class got started, Patton was even happier than previously. He really enjoyed the lesson, which was just filled with getting to know each other. He learned that Prof. Picani had enjoyed cartoons just as much as he himself, and thought he maybe even enjoyed them more. He took pride because he had become friends with almost the whole class, even the ones that didn’t talk much.

 

Patton even gave away one of his new bracelets he made to the boy he had met early in the class, the one that had the Starbucks. Since Patton already had so many bracelets, and he had taken an interest in the yellow one, Patton had given it to him, and he was thrilled about it, which had made Patton’s day. He hoped that he could make more people happy. All that mattered to him was his friend’s happiness, and if he the cause of that happiness, then that was even better.


	2. Let's Have A Good Day

**ROMAN**

The first day of Roman’s sophomore year at college; Patton’s, his younger brother’s, first day as a college freshman. Roman had promised Patton that he would drive him to the campus. So he ended up in his childhood home at seven in the morning, just talking to his mama while he waited for Patton. After reassuring Patton many times on the way to the school that everything would be fine, Roman had dragged his little brother to meet his two best friends Virgil and Logan. They had reacted pretty much as expected. Logan was already heading to class, like the freaking nerd he was, and it left Virgil at the table with Roman and Patton. The purple haired boy had seemed nervous but loosened up the longer they talked. Roman could have sworn that Virgil even smiled a few times due to Patton’s jokes. Something Roman hadn’t been able to accomplish for years now. Roman left a few minutes before the other two, telling them he had to go meet his boyfriend before class.

 

\---

 

It was only three hours later, but all morning classes had ended. As per usual, Roman was the first to arrive at the table he chose for that year. His acting class was the closest to the courtyard, so he generally chose where the small group would sit. The next one to arrive was Patton, smiling and waving at a group of students as they walked away. Still smiling, Patton slid into the seat across from Roman.

 

“See Pat? I told you everything would be fine. You already made friends,” Roman grinned, ruffling his brother’s hair. Patton just smiled and fixed his hair. Logan was the next to arrive at the table, a large stack of books already held in his arms.

 

“Logan, how the hell do you already have so many books?” Roman asked, disbelief evident in his voice as he stared at the stack. Logan looked back at him, shrugging.

 

“I went to the library,” He said it so simply as if it explained everything. “Hello again, Patton,” He continued, giving a small nod in Patton’s direction as he sat in the seat next to Roman. Roman noticed a light blush spreading across his younger brother’s cheeks and his grin grew.

 

“Hi, Logan!” Patton said, smiling brightly. “What classes did you have? You left before we could ask.”

 

“I had calculus and economics,” Logan said, putting his schedule in the table’s middle. “After lunch, I have chemistry and computer science.”

 

“Oh my God, you fucking nerd,” Virgil’s sardonic voice reached the table before the boy himself did, sliding into the seat across from Logan. “You’d better not be expecting me to help carry all those books.”

 

“So, Hot Topic finally decided to join us!” Roman smirked at Virgil, as the other just raised his middle finger at him.

 

“Screw off Princey. My class is _literally_ on the other side of the campus,” He rolled his eyes, hiding a smirk. “So, Patton, how has everything gone so far today?” Virgil inquired, turning his attention to the younger Prince brother, ignoring Roman’s offended grumbles.

 

“It has been amazing! My classes are fun and I already made friends! And I gave one of them a friendship bracelet” Patton started rambling about his day, but mainly about the people he had met, with a large smile, as the others listened. Roman grinned once Patton reached the end of the story.

 

“My dear brother it’s only been two classes. How do you have so much to talk about?” Roman asked, not really accusing but just joking around.

 

“Because I like to meet people! I love making friends!” Patton gushed, his face glowing with happiness.

 

“As much as I would love to stay and hear more, I don’t have any more classes today and Logan is my ride home, and he needs to be back for his afternoon classes. Can’t have the nerd late, now can we?” Virgil spoke up before Patton could continue, fidgeting with a small object in his hands. Roman sighed loudly, throwing his head backward dramatically.

 

“Oh, woe is me! Abandoned by two of my only friends on the first day of school. My heart is breaking because of such betrayal.”

 

“Falsehood. We are not betraying you in the slightest, and you have many other friends beside us, including your brother. You will be fine Roman.” Logan rolled his eyes at the other man’s dramatics, standing as Virgil did the same.

 

“We will see you two tomorrow. Same spot as this morning.”  Logan informed them, walking away with Virgil by his side. As soon as they were out of sight, Roman turned to Patton.

 

“So, Patton my dear brother, who did you have for psychology?” He asked, knowing Patton was bursting to talk more.

 

“Professor Picani! He’s so nice, and he loves cartoon as much as I do, if not more! I mean, we didn’t do much today, just introduced ourselves and he let us ask questions about the course and himself. Did you know he was actually a practicing psychologist for years, then decided to become a teacher? He also...” Roman listened to his younger brother rambling on about Picani and his classmates for the rest of the lunch hour. The bell started chiming, signaling the six-minute passing period.

 

“Hey little bro, meet me at the front doors after school. I’ll give you a ride home. And remember, don’t let the villains get your sunshiney mood down!” Roman called, giving a dramatic flourish as he bowed, watching as Patton disappeared into the sea of students. Roman himself then merged into the student body, making his way to his next few classes.


	3. Ring of Fire

**LOGAN**

To say that Logan was not excited for his first day of his Sophomore year of college would be an understatement. Although he did enjoy the learning aspect, he did not enjoy having to go to class surrounded by so many people in class who make have no idea what they were doing or even those who did not take the classes seriously. He would just try his best to ignore everybody who tried to talk to him unless it was his friends Roman and Virgil.

 

He was sitting at the small table in his apartment that he shared with Virgil, his preferred friend of the two, and was drinking a glass of water as he wrote on his laptop. Virgil walked into the room, ready to go, and sat down across from Logan.

 

Virgil sighed, “We should probably get going,” Logan shut his computer and nodded.

 

“Right, of course,” Logan responded, gathering his things and leaving the apartment, followed by Virgil. They hopped into Logan’s car and buckled their seatbelts before Logan started the engine and started driving towards the school. Neither Logan nor Virgil talked during the ride, the only sound being the music that Virgil selected to play from a CD that he made.

 

Once they arrived at the school, they quickly made their way to the courtyard since it was not yet time for either of their classes to start. “We should choose a table that’s shaded,” Virgil noted as they walked into the courtyard.

 

“Yeah,” Logan agreed, his eyes scanning the area for the best table. Logan was pulled out of his scanning by Virgil who nudged him on the side, pointing to a table. Logan hummed and looked over at the table, nodding as to say that he thought it was adequate for their needs. They walked over to the table and sat down next to each other. After hearing Virgil sighing loudly, Logan tilted his head and looked over at him worriedly, “Do you think you will be alright, Virgil? I know that first days can cause a lot of jitters.”

 

Virgil shrugged, “I hope so.” He started tapping his fingers on the table.

 

Logan nodded, “I believe in you, Virgil. Just remember that you can come to me with anything, and remember,” Logan held out his hand,”If you get overwhelmed, breathe in for four second,” He held up four fingers, “Hold for seven second,” He held up seven seconds, “And then breathe out for eight seconds,” He held up eight fingers. “Also, do not hesitate to leave the classroom if you need to.” He locked his hands together and set them onto the table.

 

“Thanks, L,” Virgil responded with a small smile that could be easily overlooked, but since Logan was as observant as he was, he noticed, which caused Logan himself to smile back. Virgil then pulled at the ends of his sweater arms. Logan hummed and went into his bag for a quick second and pulled out a fidget cube, handing it over to Virgil. Virgil thanked him quickly, beginning to mess with the object. Logan smiled again and pulled out a book, beginning to read.

 

After a while, Logan was pulled out of his reading by somebody introducing themself, “Hello, I’m Patton!” Logan sighed in annoyance and looked up at the person responsible.

 

“Hi,” Virgil said anxiously and Logan glanced at him for a quick second to make sure he was okay.

 

After making sure that Virgil wasn’t in distress, Logan closed his book and set it down on the table, “Salutations, Patton. I assume you are Roman’s brother, am I correct?”

 

“Yep!” Patton answered, his cheerfulness causing Logan to become a bit uneasy.

 

Logan lifted an eyebrow and responded, “My name is Logan. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, but I must be going now. You guys have a joyous time. Oh, and Virgil? Remember what I said, alright?” With that, Logan grabbed his book, stood up, and then left the table. He really didn’t have to be at his class just yet, but he didn’t like meeting new people, and Roman knew that. Yet, Roman didn’t offer a warning. He wasn’t surprised though, seeing as Roman never did tell Logan about things he should have.

 

Logan was pleasantly surprised at how calm his morning classes were, the students probably too tired from partying all summer to participate in conversation. At lunch, Logan went to the table Roman was sat at and ate with his friends and Patton, who he guessed he could warm up to as long as he wasn’t just another Roman. Logan could only deal with one Roman Prince, two would probably send him over the edge.

 

Since Virgil only had one morning class on the first day, Logan was tasked with driving him back to the apartment. On the drive back, they started talking about the new person they met, that person being Patton.

 

“I will say, he is not as bad as I would have thought, him being Roman’s brother and all,” Logan stated.

 

Virgil nodded, “I liked his puns, and he is very nice. Which is refreshing considering both you and Roman can be really, uh, harsh.”

 

“That is true. Though maybe I was hoping to get into a debate or such with him,” Logan responded.

 

Virgil rolled his eyes and replied, “Of course you were.” Their conversation was cut short as they arrived back at their apartment, Logan watching as Virgil hopped out and gave Logan a little salute before retreating inside the building. Logan smiled softly and went back to school, ready for his next classes.

 

The rest of the day went by about as quickly as he had expected since his classes were not filled with much learning, much to Logan’s dismay. He would have preferred to get right into the teaching, but nobody around him agreed as they all spent each of their classes socializing.


	4. Another First Day

**VIRGIL**

The first day of his junior year. Even after two years of college, the first day of the year still terrified Virgil, for some reason he couldn’t explain. Virgil woke up groaning, sunlight shining on his face. Of course he had forgotten to close his curtain last night. Virgil dragged himself out of bed and to the bathroom, showering and pulling on his usual attire, consisting of a long sleeve purple shirt, ripped black jeans, and his handmade hoodie. The young man walked down the stairs and plopped in the chair across from his roommate and best friend, Logan, with a sigh.

 

“We should probably get going,” Virgil said reluctantly, tugging at his hoodie sleeves. His roommate nodded and packed up his laptop.

 

“Right, of course.” Virgil followed Logan out of the apartment, locking the door behind them, just to make sure it was locked. As smart as Logan was, he often forgot the simple things, like locking the door. So Virgil had made it his job to make sure all the simple things were done.

 

The drive to the college was silent, save the CD that Virgil had picked. It was a comfortable silence though. Neither Logan nor Virgil ever talked much when it was just the two of them, both preferring to speak as little as possible.

 

Once they reached the school, the pair quickly made their way to the courtyard, wanting to grab a table before they were all taken. Classes didn’t start for a little while longer, so they had a chance to get their shit together.

 

“We should choose a table that’s shaded,” Virgil noted, looking around the courtyard for a table. He nudged Logan once he found one, and pointed to the one furthest away from them, nestled in the corner underneath a large patch of shade. Virgil waited for Logan’s nod before walking over and dropping his stuff, sitting down as Logan did the same. They sat in silence for a few moments, until Virgil sighed, his anxiety bringing up everything that could go wrong.

 

“Do you think you will be alright, Virgil? I know that first days can cause a lot of jitters.” Virgil almost smiled at that. Almost. Despite Virgil being a full year older than Logan, you never would have guessed. Logan always seemed to be the one comforting Virgil or helping him calm down. It took Virgil a few seconds to realize he hadn’t answered.

 

“I hope so,” Virgil finally said, tapping his fingers on the table in a familiar rhythm.

 

“I believe in you, Virgil. Just remember that you can come to me with anything, and remember,” Logan held out his hand,”If you get overwhelmed, breathe in for four second,” He held up four fingers, “Hold for seven second,” He held up seven seconds, “And then breathe out for eight seconds,” He held up eight fingers. “Also, do not hesitate to leave the classroom if you need to.” Logan dropped his hand back onto the table.

 

“Thanks L.” Virgil gave Logan the smallest of smiles, a rare occurrence and one that could very easily be overlooked. But, Virgil had known Logan for long enough that he new Logan could see.  After a moment or two of silence, Virgil started pulling on his hoodie sleeves again. He watched as Logan dug through his bag, tossing a small object that Virgil caught easily. With a quick thank you to Logan, Virgil started playing with the fidget cube, music lasting in his headphones, only to be interrupted a few minutes later by an overly cheery voice.

 

“Hello, I’m Patton!” Virgil groaned internally before looking up to see Roman and someone else sliding into seats across from him and Logan.

 

“Hi.” Even Virgil could tell that he sounded anxious, but he chose to ignore the look that Logan gave him as he hung his headphones around his neck.

 

“Salutations, Patton. I assume you are Roman’s brother. Am I correct?” Virgil almost laughed at the way Logan was talking. Sometimes, the purple haired boy forgot how odd Logan’s word choice was.

 

“Yep!” Patton answered with a large smile, the sheer cheerfulness of the other boy making Virgil the slightest bit more anxious.

 

“My name is Logan. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, but I must be going now. You guys have a joyous time. Oh, and Virgil? Remember what I said, alright?” Virgil rolled his eyes, but waved as Logan left. He heard Roman explain to Patton about the ‘weird stuff’ Logan would say and rolled his eyes again.

 

“Anyway, Virgil, what classes do you have this year?” Virgil turned his full attention to the Prince brother’s, delving into the topic of school. Virgil knew he had stayed pretty guarded and closed off throughout the entire conversation, but who can blame him? When you’re anxious, you’re going to be anxious.

 

Virgil was extremely happy for how calm his class was on the first day. He knew that he’d have to go through the first day introductions again tomorrow, but he couldn’t worry about that now. Virgil spent his class doodling in his sketchbook, not even listening to the teacher, choosing to listen to _Pray For The Wicked_ from P!ATD instead. Nothing they said on the first day was important anyway.

 

Virgil was the last to the lunch table, though it wasn't much of a surprise. The art room was on the other end of the campus. He arrived just in time to hear Logan’s classes, and as usual had to add his two cents.

 

“Oh my God, you fucking nerd,” Virgil called to the table, sliding into his seat directly across from Logan. “You’d better not be expecting me to help carry all those books.” At this point, Virgil was just messing around. He knew full well that Logan was capable of carrying those books and more by himself.

 

The rest of the lunch went fairly normal, sans Patton. Virgil had to admit, listening to Patton talking enthusiastically about his day and his friends was kind of infectious, and Virgil even caught himself smiling a few times. One of the boys Patton described sounded a lot like a certain lazy asshole that Virgil knew, but he kept his mouth shut. Once Patton finally took a breath, Virgil interfected before he could continue.

 

“As much as I would love to stay and hear more, I don’t have anymore classes today and Logan is my ride home. And he needs to be back for his afternoon classes. Can’t have the nerd late, now can we?” Virgil smirked at Logan as he slipped the fidget cube into his pocket.

 

“Oh, woe is me! Abandoned by two of my only friends on the first day of school. My heart is breaking because of such betrayal.” Virgil rolled his eyes as Roman pretended to fall off the bench, laying back.

 

“Falsehood. We are not betraying you in the slightest, and you have many other friends besides us, including your brother. You will be fine, Roman.” Logan watched Roman’s dramatics, standing with Virgil. “We will see you two tomorrow. Same spot as this morning.”  The pair walked away quickly, Logan wanting to get back as soon as possible, and Virgil wanting to go home.

 

On the drive back, they spoke about the newest member of their tight knit group of friends, that being one Patton Prince. After Logan and dropped Virgil back off at the apartment, the purple clad boy flopped on the couch with a sigh. Closing his eyes, he started to drift off to sleep. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad.


	5. Depths of the Ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan goes to his siblings' birthday party, and he invites Virgil along for the ride. It doesn't end well.

**LOGAN**

The sound of a phone ringing echoed throughout the room, pulling the young man from his slumber. He sat up slowly with a yawn, and he grabbed his phone, pressing the answer call without looking at the contact. A voice immediately came through from the other side.

 

“Logan! Honey, are you coming to your brother and sister’s birthday party later today?” He immediately recognized the fake sweetness of the voice as his mother, and his breath hitched.

 

“Yes,” Logan answered quickly, wishing he hadn’t answered the call. He didn’t want to go to the party, of course, but he didn’t need her throwing a fit, plus his dad would encourage him to go.

 

“Good! I was hoping you wouldn’t let me down yet again, like you did last year,” his mother replied before she hung up.

 

“Fuck,” he whispered and turned to the wall, lifting his arm and punching it, creating a small hole. He pulled his hand back immediately, “Fuck!”

 

He sighed and walked into the bathroom, pulling out his first-aid kit and began to examine his hand and knuckles. He wrapped up his hand quickly and hoped it wasn’t broken. He didn’t want to go to the hospital, mostly because of how expensive it was, but also because hospitals made him uncomfortable. Therefore, he stayed in his room hoping that Virgil wouldn’t show up.

 

He glanced at the clock and groaned. Of course his mother would call him so early in the morning. He already got very little sleep, despite trying his best to stay on schedule, he’d blame insomnia for that one, but now he was going to be tired and out of it for the rest of that day. Fantastic.

 

He layed in his bed, staring at his ceiling, his mind racing. He looked out the window at the darkness outside. He pushed himself out of bed and looked back at his hand, trying to ignore the pain he felt rushing through him. Walking into the bathroom, he sighed. He hummed and put a plastic wrap over his wrapped wrist so it wouldn’t get wet and got into the shower, hoping that would wake him up. Once he was done, he went into the kitchen to make breakfast. He made himself some eggs and toast, sitting down at the kitchen table with his laptop and scrolled through his notes while taking small bites. Although Logan thought that breakfast was very important to your health, he often skipped the meal claiming he didn’t have sufficient time to eat.

 

Right then, Virgil popped into the kitchen and sat down at the table across from the nerd. Logan sighed and looked up at his roommate with a forced smile. Virgil lifted an eyebrow at him.

 

“What happened?” Virgil asked.

 

Logan shook his head. “Nothing.”

 

“Bitch, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lying to me. What happened?”

 

“I’m fine, Virgil,” Logan responded as he turned his attention back at his computer.

 

“No, you aren’t. What happened?” Virgil stared at Logan, tapping his fingers on the table top while he waited for him to answer.

 

Logan sighed, “My mother called me.”

 

“Oh shit. What’d she say this time?” Virgil asked, his blank mask dropping. He knew how much Logan hated his mother, even if he wouldn’t say it out loud.

 

“Invited me to go to my half-siblings’ birthday,” Logan said.

 

“Are you going?” Virgil dropped his chin into his hand, watching his roommate type away.

 

Logan glared at his computer screen. “Yes. I have to, Virgil. You should come, too, it would be less detestable if you did.”

  


Logan stood outside his mother’s house, with two bags in his hand which contained the kids’ presents. He knocked on the door in a pattern that had developed in a habit for him, with Virgil standing next to him. He waited a few seconds for the door to fly open, revealing his stepfather who was giving him a fake smile. The man motioned for the two college students to enter the home, and Logan took a deep breath before stepping inside, looking around.

 

“Your mom is in the kitchen, don’t even think about disturbing her,” His stepfather told them as he walked back into the living room, where Logan assumed the kids were from the loud high-pitched voices echoing from that direction. Logan sighed and stepped further into the house, noting that it did not change much from when Logan last visited more than two years prior.

 

“So, I already hate your step-father.”

 

Logan nodded and replied, “Yes, I assumed you would.” Logan went into the direction of the living room, followed closely by Virgil. Logan placed the bags with the pile of other presents that were in the corner, and they sat on the couch as Logan’s stepfather left the room. The two twins, Taliah and Vincent, were playing with dolls and trucks, the boy running over the dolls with his trucks. Logan got up and made his way over to them,

 

Logan sat next to Taliah and grabbed one of the dolls, as Virgil walked over and sat next to him. Vincent dropped his truck and looked at Logan, “Don’t play with that!” Vincent complained.

 

Virgil raised an eyebrow at the child, “Why not?” Logan watched, keeping the doll in his hands.

 

“That’s for girls.” Vincent tried to go over to Logan to snatch the dolls out of his hands, but Taliah pushed him over.

 

“Lo’ can play with my toys,” Taliah told.

 

Virgil looked at the both of them. “Boys can play with dolls too, you can play with whatever you want to.”

 

“Really?” Vincent asked.

 

Virgil and Logan nodded. “Absolutely,” Logan responded and grabbed a truck, handing it to Taliah who smiled brightly. The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted them and Logan turned to see his mother staring at them.

 

“Don’t brainwash my children with your radical liberal ideas, Logan.” She looked at Virgil, “And if you keep it up, your friend will have to leave.” She crossed her arms.

 

Logan dropped the doll and stood up quickly, nodding. Virgil gave him a confused look and Logan could tell his best friend was trying his hardest not to go off on his mother. Logan sighed, and he went to turn on the TV.

 

His mother smiled and left the room, going back into the kitchen, leaving Logan and Virgil with the kids. Logan turned on Moana and picked up the toys, putting them on the coffee table.

 

“What the hell was that, Logan?” Virgil questioned, keeping his voice low.

 

Logan looked at him, “What?”

 

Virgil gave him a look. “You never let anybody tell you what to do.”

 

“Well, she is my mother,” Logan replied.

 

Virgil rolled his eyes, “And you hate her.”

 

“She just caught me off guard, that’s all.” Logan looked over at the kids who were too busy watching the movie to notice them talking.

 

Logan could tell Virgil didn’t believe him one bit, but he didn’t say anything more, just turned his attention to the TV.

 

A bit later, Logan’s half-sister Wanda found her way into the room and looked at Virgil and Logan, “Hey,” She greeted.

 

“Hello, Wanda.” Logan replied, glad it was her and not his step-brothers, Rhys and Samuel.

 

“Waddup boio, and who’s this?” She said as she sat herself down on the single chair, smiling and looking at them curiously.

 

Virgil tugged at the ends of his sleeves nervously, looking over at Logan. Logan gave him a reassuring smile.

 

“This is my friend Virgil.” Logan replied, straightening his glasses as he looked at her.

 

“Ah, friend, I see,” She smiled wide, until she spotted Logan’s wrapped up hand, “What the hell did you do to your hand?”

 

Logan glanced at his hand then back at Wanda, “I fell.” From his side, Virgil gave him a look.

 

Wanda lifted an eyebrow, “Yeah, I’m sure. Whatever, bro.” She rolled her eyes, “How did you two meet anyway?”

 

So Logan told her how he met his best friend and then they went on to talk about some other things until about half an hour later when his mother came out to tell them that dinner was ready and on the table, and they all went into the dining room.

 

“Samuel and Rhys are at their mother’s house today, so the table won’t be as crowded as I originally thought,” Logan’s stepfather told as he put the last dish on the table. Logan wondered why neither Taliah nor Vincent had an actual friend over for their birthday party.

 

The table sat 10 people, with four chairs on each side and two end seats. Logan sat at the end of one side of the table; Virgil sat right next to him; Logan’s step-sibling Maryland, who is 19, sat next to Virgil; and Logan’s half-sister Wanda, who is 15, sat next to Maryland. On the other side sat Logan’s other half-siblings Vincent, Taliah, and Lacey. Then Logan’s mother and stepfather sat at the ends of the table.

 

“I can’t believe my youngest children are already five years old.” Logan’s mother told as soon as they were all sitting down. Lacey and Wanda were bickering from across the table, earning them a small lecture from their father.

 

“Ah, before we start, I’d like to say a prayer.” Logan’s step-father said, earning a small groan from Logan. “Boy, you have something to say to me?”

 

Logan looked over at him and responded, “Not everybody at this table is a Christian.”

 

That obviously hit a nerve as his stepfather banged his fist on the table, “You are in my house, you will follow my rules. It’s that or get out.” Logan sighed and looked at the empty plate in front of him. His stepfather then said his prayer, and after he was done they took turns getting their food.

 

Logan got a small scoop of mashed potatoes, and while they were all eating, their mother looked at them, then over at his stepfather. His stepfather cleared his throat and looked over at Logan and Virgil, “Just wondering, but are you two, y’know…” He paused, as if what he was about to say was unspeakable, “Dating?”

 

Virgil responded immediately, “Yes.” Logan almost choked on his potatoes and looked down at his plate, his mind screaming. All he could think of was the phrase ‘Oh my God’ over and over again, and wasn’t able to form any words. He glanced at Virgil, who just smirked at him.

 

Logan’s mother gasped, looking over at her husband and then at Logan, “I knew you were a homo, but this is just…” She looked at her other children, who all kept eating awkwardly with the younger twins clueless.

 

“Right, I should have guessed you were one of those people.” Logan’s stepfather said, as Logan was still not able to form any words, his eyes now very interested in his mashed potatoes.

 

Virgil raised his eyebrow, “Those people?” He scoffed.

 

“I’m not homophobic or anything, but it is a sin after all,” He responded.

 

“You know what else is a sin? Adultery. Who here has committed that crime? Both. Of. You.” Virgil glared. Logan’s mother gasped once again, and his stepfather glared right back.

 

“You will not come into my home and say such things. Out. Both of you, now!” The stepfather told, his voice raising, causing Virgil to flinch and stand up quickly.

 

“Va au diable.” Virgil told them as he pulled Logan up by the arm and pulled him out out the house and into Logan’s car.

 

Virgil couldn’t help himself as he let out a laugh. Logan looked over at him, cracking a small smile, “Virgil, oh my God.”

 

“Their faces, oh my god, priceless! Somebody had to put those assholes in their place.” Virgil held onto the dash as he laughed. Logan sighed.

 

“Well, I appreciate it. Though I doubt I’ll be invited back any time soon.” Logan started the engine.

 

Virgil raised an eyebrow, “That’s a good thing, L. I don’t see how you’re related to that woman, honestly.”

 

“Yeah, well unfortunately, I am.” Logan sighed, and with that they drove home, Virgil singing along to the radio terribly out of tune, Logan laughing next to him.


End file.
